Glenn Gadway had reached the point of his career that we all look forward to. He had retired in the second half of 2018 from a career of working as an electrician, stationary engineer and plant utility engineer for the Department of Corrections in New York State. His job included overseeing the operation, maintenance and repair of a wide variety of equipment including 3-500 hp, 16 million BTUH hot water boilers used to heat the prison, 4-50 hp site pumps, 2-water heaters, and associated controls. After a new heating plant was opened at the prison in 1989, he helped with the decommissioning of the original heating plant. Glenn and his wife had purchased a property in the Adirondack Mountains, and they looked forward to moving there where Glenn was planning to start an online business. Glenn welds iron into unique art and home accessories. On May 15, 2019 Glenn celebrated his birthday with family and friends, a day filled with laughter and joy.

On the way upstairs to bed, Glenn lost his footing and fell over the railing of the stairway!

The fall caused multiple fractures in his neck and spinal vertebrae, and his wife Candace had to administer CPR while waiting for the ambulance. The result was paralysis from the waist down. Like everyone who has experienced a sudden life altering situation, Glenn discovered there are a lot of items not covered by insurance. They had received a power wheelchair, and had been able to purchase an accessible van, but Glenn desired a lightweight, manual wheelchair. A manual wheelchair would allow him to get back to working the way he wanted to in retirement, while helping with his recovery. In the latter years of his career, Glenn engaged in teaching the next generation the tools of the trade, an endeavor he hoped to continue in retirement. A manual, ultralight chair would allow Glenn much better access to some of the tight fitting areas within his shop. This type of chair would also provide Glenn with more cardiorespiratory endurance, and increases upper extremity strength. Cardiovascular failures are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in both the acute and chronic phases of spinal cord injury. In addition, this type of wheelchair does not need to be transported in an accessible vehicle.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the foundation was able to fulfill this request!

After receiving his chair, Candace wrote to the foundation and said, “We received Glenn’s chair. He is so enjoying his independence! Thank you so very much, words cannot express our gratitude!”

About The Joseph Groh Foundation

Joe Groh has been active in the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) industry for the past 35 years. On Father’s Day of 2008, following a day spent with family, Joe decided to go for an aerobic bike ride along the trails of Lake Grapevine. At one point the trail turned sharply left and the front tire of Joe’s mountain bike slid on some sand and off the trail. Joe was thrown headfirst over the handlebars, breaking his neck and damaging his spinal cord at the C-4 vertebra. Knowing that life had suddenly and unalterably changed, Joe vowed to never look back, never give up and to remain positive.

Establishing The Joseph Groh Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible foundation, is Joe’s way of giving back to the construction trades industry by:

• Serving as a clearinghouse of information for those with spinal cord injuries.
• Encouraging companies to offer and employees to purchase short and long-term disability insurance.
• Financially assisting those with a connection to the construction trades industry who are living with a life altering injury or illness.

Learn more about Joe and the foundation at http://www.josephgrohfoundation.org.